More than 15,000 Sign Petition As Jewish Groups Join Forces to begin a Campaign for a Just Farm Bill

Washington, D.C.; February 29, 2012 – As discussions around
the 2012 U.S. Farm Bill ramp up, Jewish organizations seized the opportunity to
call for reforms to advance a values-inspired vision of food justice. Members
of the Jewish Farm Bill Working Group -- American
Jewish World Service (AJWS), the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life
(COEJL), Hazon, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), MAZON: A Jewish
Response to Hunger (MAZON) and the Union
for Reform Judaism (URJ) -- convened on Capitol Hill today for a briefing with
congressional staff and other interested parties to discuss U.S. food and
agricultural policies. The group urged Congress to enact policies that pursue
long-term approaches to eradicating hunger by protecting food-insecure
populations, promoting sustainable land use, and investing in stable local food
systems at home and abroad.

The
Jewish Farm Bill Working Group has collected more than 15,000 signatures to
date for its Jewish Petition for
a Just Farm Bill,
which presents a communal voice advocating for a better food system. During today’s
briefing, the group unveiled itsJewish Platform for a Just Farm Bill, a statement of principles endorsed by twelve Jewish organizations including
representation from the four largest denominations (Reform, Conservative,
Orthodox, and Reconstructionist).

“Our working group represents a diverse cross
section of Jewish advocacy, denominational and educational organizations coming
together to call for just and sustainable agriculture policies both in the U.S.
and abroad, ” said Ruth Messinger, president
of AJWS. “For AJWS, as an organization working in the Horn of Africa and other
food insecure regions around the world, we see a vital need to reform food aid
in the next farm bill so that our tax dollars are more effectively used to
reverse hunger.”

Today’s
briefing capped off a week of Jewish food issue activism on Capitol Hill. Earlier
this week, more than 50 young Jewish activists who participated in AJWS global
volunteer programs lobbied their members of Congress for food aid reform. The
volunteer meetings supported this week’s policy paper release from AJWS
entitled, The Time is Ripe for Food Aid Reform.

MAZON,
together with hundreds of anti-hunger advocates from across the country, met to
discuss the myriad challenges facing food insecure people in America and then
spent a day meeting with members of Congress to urge support for, and
preservation of, the nutrition safety net.

The
JCPA participated together with Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Rep. James
McGovern (D-MA), Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn), beneficiaries and other
anti-hunger leaders at a press conference on Capitol Hill on Tuesday calling
for the protection of funding for and access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP).

While
the farm bill may seem an unlikely target for a groundswell of Jewish activism,
this omnibus legislation, which dictates U.S. law on everything from crop
insurance to food stamps to biofuels, is packed with policies that have deep
connections to Jewish ethics. Each organization in the Jewish Farm Bill Working
Group is focused on reforming a different aspect of the bill, but all member
organizations are working collaboratively to maximize their collective power
and mobilize their constituents toward a common goal.

“The JCPA
calls upon Congress to reject attacks on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program , whose funding has been in jeopardy in recent years, and instead find
ways to expand access to this effective and critical human needs program,” said
Rabbi Steve Gutow, president of the JCPA.
“As our rabbis have taught: ‘If all the other possible troubles were assembled
on one side and poverty on the other, poverty would outweigh them all’ (Midrash
on Exodus). We have an opportunity to tip the balance and address hunger and
poverty on a large scale through the reauthorization of the Farm Bill.”

Rabbi
Harold J. Kravitz, incoming Board Chair of MAZON, continues: “There is much
more we can do, especially through the titles in the Farm Bill, to address our
nation’s hunger challenges. We believe the next farm bill can – and should –
take inspiration from the Jewish values of tzedakah
and tikkun olam, and in so doing,
ensure equitable access to healthy nutritious food for all Americans.”

American Jewish World ServiceInspired by Judaism’s commitment to
justice, American Jewish World Service (AJWS) works to realize human rights and end poverty in the developing world. www.ajws.org

Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL)The Coalition on the
Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) deepens and broadens the Jewish community’s
commitment to stewardship and protection of the Earth through outreach,
activism and Jewish learning. Through a network of Jewish leaders, institutions
and individuals, COEJL is mobilizing the Jewish community to conserve energy,
increase sustainability, and advocate for policies that increase energy
efficiency and security while building core Jewish environmental knowledge and
serving as a Jewish voice in the broader interfaith community.

HazonHazon seeks to
create healthier, more sustainable communities in the Jewish world and beyond. www.hazon.org

Jewish Council for Public AffairsThe Jewish Council
for Public Affairs serves as the representative voice of the organized American
Jewish community in addressing the principal mandate of the Jewish community
relations field and works to repair the world through Jewish activism.www.jewishpublicaffairs.org

MAZON: A Jewish Response to HungerMAZON:
A Jewish Response to Hunger is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to
preventing and alleviating hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds. www.mazon.org

Union for Reform Judaism (URJ)The Union for Reform
Judaism (URJ) connects Reform Jewish communities in North America to create a
dynamic network of congregants, lay leaders, clergy and professionals. The URJ
includes more than 900 congregations encompassing 1.5 million Reform Jews.www.urj.org